Is being able to control dreams possible?

Question

Well right now, I'm starting off by practicing lucid dreaming, where you realize you're dreaming while sleeping. So I thought, "If you're able to realize you're dreaming, can you control what you dream?" Very often, my dreams are based on things that happened in the daytime before I went to bed. Now I'm debating whether you really CAN control your dreams or not. For example, I would like to dream about flying more often and was wondering whether it really is possible to achieve this. (Please don't bombard me with hateful criticism about how this is a waste of time. I don't care how long it takes me, I've got my whole life ahead of me. I'm only 14.)

Don't say that controlling your dreams is a waste of time. If you can control your dreams and dream about something specifically that'll help relax you, it's NOT a waste of time.

Besides, I wasn't asking if it's meaningless. I was merely asking if it's POSSIBLE.

Answer 1

Of course it is.
Ignore other people who think it's a waste of time. I can do this and many others can too. It's one of the best experiences you'll ever have.
It's called Lucid Dreaming.

Go to www.ld4all.com to know how to achieve this. I'm your age :), trust me, you'll love it.
Try it out, and don't worry, it won't steal your relaxation.

Answer 2

I have only had a couple of lucid dreams in my life, but I was able to re-write the outcome of the dream while I was doing so.
The funniest one was where I had a car accident with a car that was parked along the street. I was concerned that the owner would come out of the house and yell at me. I was aware that I was dreaming, and changed the car to a big ol' canopy bed, don't know why I chose that, but oh well. So then the owner came out of the house and was all confused about what the heck is a big ol' canopy bed doing in the road??? :)

Answer 3

Yes. If you keep thinking of it before you go to bed like a meditation type of quieting your mind and focusing on what you want to dream about. When you are in the dream state and realise you are dreaming, do not wake yourself up. Control your dream as much as you can but it can only last a short while. As with any endeavour, practice makes you better at it.

Answer 4

Dear 14 year old,
You answered your question yourself. You have your whole life ahead of you so don't make the start so meaningless.

focus on real life. leave the sleeping time to give some relaxation to your body. Some dreams will not give you the relaxation that you wish and others will. Just don't eat or drink allot before sleeping and don't sleep late and your body will get what it needs in no time.
By the way, you have your life ahead of you - do you know how much time that is?? live it don't waste it. Believe me life is very short.

Answer 5

yes its called Lucid dreaming. It takes Practice, and a dream journal, and a dream interpretation guide.

Here is one online:

http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/h.htm

Answer 6

I don't think you can control a dream

Answer 7

Keep a dream journal. This is, perhaps, the most important step in establishing a foundation for lucid dreams. Keep it close by your bed at night, and write in it immediately after waking, you can also keep a recording device near if repeating your dream outloud is easier to remember, it will also be much easier than writing it down. -- if a dream is remembered. This tells your brain that you are serious about remembering your dreams!

Learn the best time to have a lucid dream. By being aware of personal sleep schedules, a person can arrange his or her sleep pattern to help induce lucid dreams.

Studies strongly suggest that a nap a few hours after waking in the morning is the most common time to have a lucid dream.
Lucid dreams are largely associated with REM, which means they most commonly occur right before waking up. REM sleep is more abundant just before the final awakening. People with narcolepsy have sleep-onset REM, so if you have lucid dreams right after falling asleep, narcolepsy ought to be considered. (You may consider seeking medical advice from a sleep medicine specialist.) However, it should also be noted here that there are reports of people who recall dreams after being awakened during non-REM stages of sleep.
Dreams usually run in 90-minute cycles during sleep, so if a person is working on dream recall, it may be helpful to attempt to wake oneself up during one of these cycles (interrupted dreams are often the ones we remember).

Practice mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming (MILD).

Set your alarm clock to wake you up 4, 5 1/2, or 6 hours after falling asleep.
When you are awakened by your alarm clock, try to remember the dream as much as possible.
When you think you have remembered as much as you can, go back to sleep, imagining that you are in your previous dream, and becoming aware that you are dreaming. Say to yourself, "I will be aware that I'm dreaming," or something similar. Do this until you think that it has 'sunk in.' Then go to sleep.
If random thoughts pop up when you are trying to fall asleep, repeat the imagining, self-suggestion part, and try again. And don't worry if you think it's taking a long time. The longer it takes, the more likely it will 'sink in,' and the more likely you will have a lucid dream.

Establish a habit of reality checks. In a dream, these will tell you that you are sleeping, allowing you to become lucid. But in order to do a reality check in a dream, a person must first establish a habit of doing reality checks in real life. A reality check includes looking for "dream signs," or things that would not normally exist in real life. When these actions become habit, a person will begin to do them in her or his dreams, and can come to the conclusion that he/she is dreaming. Some tactics include:

looking at a clock to see if it stays constant;
looking at a body of text, looking away, and then looking back to see if it has changed;
flipping a light switch;
looking in a mirror (your image will most often appear blurry in a dream);
pinching your nose closed and trying to breathe;
glancing at your hands, and asking yourself, "am I dreaming?" (when dreaming, you will most often see greater or fewer than five fingers on your hand);
jumping in the air;
pinching or poking yourself; when dreaming, you usually do not feel any pain, and your "flesh" might be more elastic than in real life;

Prolong lucid dreams by spinning your body in the dream (suspected of prolonging REM), and rubbing your hands (prevents you from feeling the sensation of lying in bed

BE PROACTIVE ABOUT YOUR DREAM, Have a goal in mind and try to accomplish it, Dreams can be a gate way to insight in solving problems

Answer 8

It's weird but my dad says he can, but he learned how to do it after years of having nightmeres, he says that you still can never control it if your sick or something